The town ruling out low emission zones and congestion charges and taking a different approach

A seaside town has ruled out controversial low emission zones and congestion charges to improve air quality and will instead take a different approach. Blackpool will look at other measures such as supporting more use of electric vehicles, and encouraging people to switch to public transport or to walk or cycle.

The pledge comes as residents are being urged to take part in consultation for the council’s draft Air Quality Strategy. Vehicle traffic is one of the main causes of pollution, with many towns and cities including London adopting controversial low emission zones to combat it.

Where such zones are in place, drivers of the most polluting vehicles face charges to drive through those areas. Coun Jane Hugo, Blackpool Council’s cabinet member for climate change, said such a proposal had been ruled out in the town.

Try MEN Premium for FREE by clicking here for no ads, fun puzzles and brilliant new features.

She said: “We’re not planning to bring in any charges and if people look at our strategy there is a list of other practical ways to lower emissions in Blackpool. We want to allay people’s fears and are not going to bring in anything controversial.

“There is no intention of having any kind of stealth tax. We don’t want to put people off coming into Blackpool but we believe the climate emergency is real. Being by the sea we don’t have as big a problem as inland towns and cities, but there are some hot spots where air quality is poor.”

Air quality in Blackpool currently complies with legal levels set by the government. But the council is hoping to reduce levels further, with its action plan including:

Coun Hugo added: “We are committed to making Blackpool a healthier, cleaner place to live and this is why